California Department of Justice Latent Fingerprints Unit assisted with this case

“We thank those in law enforcement and criminal justice for protecting the most innocent among us, our children.  We also appreciate the work of jurors who are seated in these types of cases, it is not an easy assignment.”

CSLEA President Alan Barcelona

FORT BRAGG – On December 12, 2024, a Mendocino County Superior Court jury returned six guilty verdicts relating to felonious sexual misconduct against Jeffery Lloyd Hockett, 63, of Fort Bragg. 

Hockett was found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the following felony crimes:

• Possession on April 22, 2024 of pornography of children under the age 18 years, with prior felony sex convictions involving children out of Oregon in 1997 and 2006;
• Possession on April 22, 2024 of over 600 pornographic images of children under the age of 18 years;
• Possession on April 22, 2024 of sadomasochistic pornography of children under the age of 18;
• Failure to register as a sex offender between August 1, 2023 and October 31, 2023;
• Failure to register as a sex offender between November 1, 2023 and January 31, 2024;
• Failure to register as a sex offender between February 1, 2024 and March 31, 2024.

The jury also found true a sentencing allegation alleging that the defendant has previously suffered a strike conviction, within the meaning of California’s voter-modified Three Strikes law.

Hockett is scheduled to be sentenced on January 13, 2025. Pending sentencing, he remains in custody.

The law enforcement agencies that developed the evidence used at trial against the defendant were the:

• Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force,
• Fort Bragg Police Department,
• Department of Justice Latent Fingerprints Unit,
• and the DA’s Bureau of Investigations.